Posted: February 26, 2025
At the recent Pennsylvania 4-H State Leadership Conference, 15 4-H'ers received Diamond Clover Awards, the highest achievement possible in the Pennsylvania 4-H program.
The Clover Award Program encourages 4-H members to explore new projects and activities throughout their 4-H experience that will help them acquire the seven leadership life skills: communicating, decision-making and problem-solving, getting along with others, learning to learn, managing, understanding self, and working in groups. Engagement with the program is generally a multiyear process that guides 4-H members through several levels of achievement, culminating with the Diamond Clover Award, for which participants plan and implement a service-learning project in the community.
Following are 4-H Diamond Clover Award winners by county, with descriptions of their projects:
Bedford County
— Garrett Hubbard: "Equipment 4 Young Athletes." Collecting nearly 100 pieces of used, quality sports equipment, Hubbard worked to support youth in his community, also hosting a booth at the local Family Sporting Safety Fair.
Crawford County
— Kylie Shuffstall: "Free, Fair, Family Fun and 4-H." Shuffstall provided families with free educational activities during her community fair, and despite ending early due to severe weather, she repurposed supplies for a nursing home visit.
Huntingdon County
— Samson McGargle: "Huntingdon County Fair Medical Emergency Preparation." McGargle partnered with his 4-H club, schoolteachers, and the Huntington County Agricultural Association to equip the fairgrounds with an automated external defibrillator, first aid kits, and medical training programs for emergency preparedness.
Indiana County
— Alaina Fabin: "Just Keep Calm." Inspired by her own childhood experience, Fabin created kits to comfort children waiting in emergency rooms while also educating younger 4-H members on what to do in an emergency-related situation and tactics to keep calm.
— John Bruner led a two-day shooting sports camp for youth, integrating STEM, nutrition education, and a service-learning project that collected 518 cereal boxes to support food insecurity initiatives.
Juniata County
— Chaz Auker organized a model rocketry field day for 20 youth, featuring educational demonstrations of rocket launches and workshops to inspire interest in rocketry and 4-H.
Lehigh County
— Allison Emanuel developed an agricultural curriculum toolkit for K-5 students, including an "Ag Box" resource for teachers, which was piloted and adopted into the school curriculum.
— Payge Haydt helped establish the Pennsylvania branch of Hearts for Music, a special needs orchestra, with a long-term goal of performing at the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee celebration.
Lycoming County
— Mackenzie Heyler organized donation drives and sewing workshops to create drawstring bags filled with toys and activities for children staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
Montour County
— Alyssa Bergenstock launched "Little Agvocates" to teach second graders about agriculture, reaching 150 youth and fostering awareness of farming and agricultural careers.
Schuylkill County
— Samantha Strouse's reforestation project planted 150-200 trees in her community while educating local members on the importance of reforestation.
Somerset County
— Aubrey Green's "Operation Kibble Cookie" project educated her community about dog nutrition while baking more than 1,000 nutritious dog treats and donating them to the Humane Society.
— Katy Kovacs' "Fleece for Furry Friends" project provided more than 60 handmade blankets, beds, and toys to the Somerset County Humane Society to improve the comfort and enrichment of shelter animals.
— Patricia Kovacs designed and built raccoon-proof feeders to support feral cat populations, sharing her project at a 4-H club meeting and animal management trainings.
Union County
— Austin Hanselman partnered with his local township and FFA chapter to build and maintain community flowerbeds, teaching 4-H members about proper planting and care.
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring, and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Pennsylvania 4-H website.
